KL's opposition leader says he is no threat
KL's opposition leader says he is no threat
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian opposition leader Razaleigh
Hamzah dismissed claims he would represent a threat to the
leadership of the ruling United Malays National Organization
(UMNO) when he joins the party, a news report said yesterday.
Razaleigh, an arch-foe of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad,
described himself as a "gurkha" and said he and 200,000 other
supporters of his soon-to-be disbanded party were joining UMNO as
ordinary members.
He said the UMNO leadership, including deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim, had nothing to fear from him or his supporters because
they were joining UMNO without "position or money."
"It's really Malay unity. If other people want to view it
differently, let them. I cannot see how any of us can shake any
of the leaders there (in UMNO). It's impossible," he was reported
saying in the New Sunday Times.
Describing his relationship with Mahathir as that of "very
good friends," Razaleigh admitted that ties between them were
strained after 1981 but insisted he had nothing personal against
the premier.
Razaleigh ditched UMNO in 1987 to form an opposition party,
Semangat 46 following a bruising bid to oust Mahathir as UMNO
president, a post that traditionally allows its holder to become
premier.
Mahathir's announcement in May of Razaleigh's possible return
to UMNO has since sparked speculation the premier was using him
to thwart any attempt by Anwar to prematurely unseat him as party
president and prime minister.
But the 72-year-old premier two months ago denied rumors of a
bid to undermine his deputy and gave assurances he would give his
full support to the 47-year-old Anwar.
A prince in northeastern Kelantan state, Razaleigh's return
with more than 200,000 supporters would bolster UMNO's 2.4
million membership and foster Malay unity. Malays make up about
half of Malaysia's 20 million population.
More significantly, Razaleigh could also return Malaysia's
sole opposition state, Kelantan, to UMNO.
Razaleigh's Semangat and the opposition Parti Islam (PAS)
teamed up to wrest Kelantan state from UMNO control in 1990,
riding on the dual tickets of Malay nationalism and Islamic
fundamentalism respectively.
Razaleigh's return to UMNO follows the break-up of the six-
year alliance with PAS which he described as "a nightmare,"
calling their leaders "old foggies doing things in the same, old
conservative way."
Razaleigh was confident that in the event of a snap election,
PAS would lose the state because UMNO's strength would be boosted
by Semangat.
"If we shift our support to UMNO, UMNO is going to win hands
down. PAS without us will be weaker because we reach out to the
modern Malays," he added.
Political developments are keenly followed in UMNO, which is
the backbone of the ruling 14-member National Front coalition.
UMNO has ruled the country since independence in 1957.